New York, New York
by zzilly14
Summary: Crossover with Gargoyles. After Clem leaves Sunnydale in Empty Places, he heads to NYC. There, after he learns of the events of Chosen, he meets a female gargoyle in a demon bar.
1. Chapter 1

_Greg Weisman and Joss Whedon are the geniuses, not me.  
_  
Written for It Hurts My Brain LJ Community, using the pairing of Demona (Gargoyles) and Clem (Buffy).

NOTES: Takes place in May/June 2003, after the events of the BtVS finale "Chosen." It's been over six years since the TGC finale "Angels in the Night" at this point, so I think gargoyles would be accepted into society, at least for the most part. Everyone knows Demona is human by day and gargoyle by night, and she goes by the name Dominique. She still doesn't like humans too much, but she tolerates them.

**New York, New York  
Chapter 1  
**by Zzilly14

With the impending apocalypse, everyone was ready to get their butts out of Sunnydale. Myself included. Who knew it would get that bad? Then again, it _was_ a Hellmouth. I guess I was surprised it lasted that long.

I decided to head East. California hadn't been too good for my complexion. Anyway, impending apocalypse! I wanted to be far away from Sunnydale as possible.

I managed to make it all the way to the Big Apple. Hey, I like big towns. Easier to blend in.

A few weeks later I heard of Sunnydale's fate - and word that Buffy and most of the gang survived.

Except Spike. Apparently he went down in a blaze of glory. But still... it was difficult to hear the news.

So I found one of the many demon bars downtown - a place called Whedon's - and had myself a few yak urine shots. They weren't as good as the ones in Sunnydale, but I didn't care too much.

"Rough day?" I heard a voice say. I turned next to me and was surprised to see a nice-looking red-haired blue gargoyle staring back at me.

Gargoyles were funny creatures. They weren't demons, but they definitely weren't humans either. They had wings to glide with and during the day they became stone. And I thought werewolves were strange.

"Yeah... I just heard that my friend died. Back in Sunnydale."

"I thought everyone vacated from that dreadful place," she replied before sipping her drink of... whatever it was she was drinking.

"Everyone did. Except a bunch of my friends. It's their job to save the world, you know. And Spike... well, he kind of caused Sunnydale to become a crater."

"Spike... William the Bloody, right?" she wondered. "I thought he was a vampire. Didn't he kill two Slayers?"

"Yeah, well it's a long story. But he got his soul back. There was this amulet he wore, and that's what caused the Hellmouth to be destroyed."

"A magic amulet... I tend to stay away from those kind of things nowadays."

"Magic can be very dangerous," I concurred. "One of my friends who helped saved the world - last year was rough for her. She got addicted to magic. Then she got better, for a while. When her girlfriend was murdered, though... it was bad. Really bad."

She turned her eyes away from me and stared at her drink. "Vengeance is never a good place to go. Trust me, I've been there."

"Willow ended up killing the guy that did it... almost killed his two friends... even was willing to kill her own friends. I thought the world was going to end that day, but... another apocalypse was averted, thankfully."

"You've got some interesting friends," she noted.

I ordered another shot. "Yeah. Living in a Hellmouth, you get to meet some interesting characters."

"So what brought you to New York?"

"Impending apocalypse. I hauled my tail out of Sunnydale and didn't want to be anywhere near it when it happened. And hey, I've always wanted to see New York. There's Times Square, Broadway. I'm a huge fan of musicals."

The gargoyle brushed back some of her scarlet hair and smiled. "What's your name?"

"Clem," I replied. "How about you?"

"Dominique."

My eyes widened. "Hey, I know who you are! Dominique Destine! Half gargoyle, half human! Right?"

"I am not half human!" she screamed. I stared at her as she took a deep breath. "Sorry," she uttered quietly, refusing to look at me. "I'm not too fond of humans."

"Hey, I used to feel the same way. Whenever they see a demon they think 'It's evil!' But I'm not evil. I don't kill people or anything. I'm one of the nice guys. But humans never gave me a chance, until I met Buffy."

"Buffy? The Slayer?"

"One of many Slayers now. But yeah, that's the one. She treated me with respect. She trusted me. She even trusted me enough to watch her little sister Dawn during the whole evil Willow thing."

Dominique looked up at me with teary eyes. "A human, a Slayer no less, gave you a chance? That's... unbelievable."

"Well, believe it. It's really true." I cleared my throat. "So, set me straight with this human thing. About you being one, I mean."

"I'm a gargoyle. I was born a gargoyle. I've been alive for... a very long time. Anyway, I've always wanted to see the sun rise. A spell was cast by the trickster Puck, which allowed me to see daylight. However, when the sun rose I became the very thing I hated. A human. And that's happened to me every morning since."

"Neat," I nodded. I drank my fourth shot of yak urine before putting some cash on the bar. "It was nice to meet you, but I should get going. I don't want to get too drunk."

"Well... it was nice to meet you too, Clem. Have a good night. And... I'm sorry about your friend."

"Thanks. Well... bye!" I waved and exited the bar, wondering if I'd ever see her again.

...

I sat at the bar for a few minutes more, thinking about my conversation with that odd-looking demon. I had no idea why I started talking to him. Usually when I hung out in a demon bar I kept to myself. But there was something about Clem...

"Another monkey martini," I demanded from the human bartender. "No, wait. How strong is yak urine?"

"Sorry, Ms. Destine," he shrugged. "Can't give it to you. It's deadly to gargoyles."

"Damn! Well... what's strong and something I _can_ stomach?"

"Actually," his voice quieted, "we do carry drinks for our not-as-demonic customers, but we try not to advertise it too much."

"Really?" I said. "Give me a shot of liquor. Now."

He poured the drink and placed it in front of me. I stared at briefly before downing the whole thing.

"Whew! I'm going to call it a night. I've got to be in the office tomorrow."

"Need me to call a taxi?" the human bartender asked. "I don't know if I want you gliding home..."

"I'll walk," I replied harshly. I threw him a few bills and was about to leave when I turned back to him. "That demon I was talking to... Clem... where does he live?"

"I think he's at hotel a near Times Square... the Best Western between 6th and Broadway."

"Well... thanks."

"No problem, Ms. Destine. Any time."  



	2. Chapter 2

_Greg Weisman and Joss Whedon are the geniuses, not me._

** New York, New York  
Chapter 2  
**by Zzilly14

The next morning I woke up in my hotel room with a headache.

"I shouldn't have had that many drinks," I scolded myself.

After glancing at the clock which told me it was almost noon, I thought it'd be best to chill and watch some television. Three cheers for cable.

Unfortunately for me all the news channels were talking endlessly about Sunnydale and the explosion and how they weren't sure of the body count.

I was about to change to Animal Planet when Dawn lit up the screen.

"I thought we were going to die," she said. "But at the end of the day, we survived. I just wish I could say the same about some of my friends..."

I smiled softly at her. She had been through so much. Maybe she could have a normal life now.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Room service already?"

...

I stood outside room 314 the next morning. What the hell was I doing here? I barely knew Clem - and he was a demon for crying out loud - and here I was in front of his hotel room.

I made sure my hair was still neatly in a bun and confidently knocked on the door twice.

A couple moments passed and he opened the door, surprised and apparently very confused.

"You're not room service, are you?" he asked, staring at my black business dress.

"No, I'm not."

He stared into my eyes, trying to figure me out.

"Do I know you?"

"Not very well. We met last night..."

"Dominique?"

I beamed. "In the despicable human flesh, you could say."

"Wow... you're... wow! Now that I know it's you... wow! That's really cool! So, what are you doing here? How'd you find me?"

"That human bartender at Whedon's. I wanted to... see how you were."

The flabby demon scratched his right ear. "Oh. Well, could be better, although it's really good to see you. Um... wanna come in?"

I nodded and entered the room, hearing him close the door behind me. It was a small room - one bed, a television, a kitchenette... ugly flowered wallpaper, bland blue carpet. But he had managed to make it homey, with a picture on the TV of a black and white kitten sleeping.

"You like cats." I smiled. "Cute."

"They're delicious too." When he saw the shocked look on my face, he quickly stuttered, "But I haven't eaten one in... uh... two months!"

"I do _not_ want to know." I glanced around the room. "So how long are you going to be living here?"

"I honestly have no idea. I want to see most of the Broadway shows first, but that could take weeks, months. And it takes money too, which unfortunately I don't have a lot of."

"Do... do you need a job?"

"If it pays me, I'd love one! Are you offering me a job? Because you can pay me as little as you want. Or as much." Surprisingly he got to his knees and pleaded me with his bright red eyes. "I'd be so grateful, Dominique."

"Get up, Clem. I'd be... honored to have you join my company."

"Really? That's great! Thank you, thank you!" He stood up and gave me a huge hug. I was frozen stiff in shock but managed to give him a few pats on his back.

"You're... welcome."

"So," he wondered after letting me go, "what will I be doing?"

...

The good news was I had a job. The bad news was that I was stuck in a cramped up dark office with no snack machine. It was terrible. I was a little mad at Dominique for the lack of food - but hey, the job paid very well, considering all I did was answer the phone. 

I like talking to people, they're fun. It's just the people that called weren't very nice... I don't think they liked Dominique and her company too much.

Dominique came by a few times, smiling as I talked on the phone. She finally came in my third week to ask how the job was holding up.

"It's not too fun," I admitted, "but it makes me money. So I won't complain. Too much, anyway."

She laughed. Not a big chuckle or anything, but just a nice cute giggle that reminded me of Dawn.

"Well, I wouldn't complain too much, or else you might get fired."

"You won't hear a peep out of me," I smiled.

Dominique winked as she placed a small silver key in front of me. "You get off at eight tonight, am I correct?"

"Yep."

She handed me a slip of paper. "Go there at midnight, and bring the key. You'll need it to get in."

"Get in where?"

"See you at midnight." She waved and saw herself out of the office. I wondered what I was getting myself into.

...

Having Clem working in my company was great. He didn't seem to mind taking all the complaints from dissatisfied customers. But at the same time, I felt like I was using him. It made me feel almost... guilty.

"He doesn't care, he's getting money for it," I tried to convince myself.

After sunset I glided over to Whedon's again.

"Liquor," I demanded.

The human bartender poured me a shot and set it in front of me. "Wanna talk?"

"Not to you. Anyway, I just need to loosen up a bit before midnight."

"What happens at midnight?"

"Nothing you need to know about," I replied.

He let it go and left me to my drink.

"Nosy humans," I muttered to myself.

...

At quarter to midnight I found the address Dominique had told me to meet me at. It was a large brick building that looked very abandoned.

"I'm getting a bad feeling..." I spoke aloud as I walked to the front door. As I expected, the key fit neatly into the keyhole and unlocked the door without a hitch.

Taking a deep breath I entered. The place was very dark. And really spooky. And quiet.

"I'm a demon," I attempted to say with confidence, but came out a little shaky. "I'm scarier than anything in here."

"You really think so?" I heard Dominique say in a creepy voice.

"Where are you? Can you turn on the lights or something?"

"Are you sure you want them on?"

"Please, Dominique! Turn on the lights! This is starting to freak me out!"

"As you wish," she stated. Suddenly the room was aglow and I was shocked to see Buffy and Dawn standing in the room, smiling softly at me.

"Hey!" I laughed, giving them a huge hug. "What are you guys doing here? How are you?"

"Thank your friend, Ms. Destine," Buffy said. "She arranged our flight out here, since we're leaving for England soon. Dawn's always wanted to come here anyway..."

"It's good to see you, Clem," Dawn grinned.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay. Say, do you want to go see a Broadway show tomorrow? I've heard 'Wicked' is really good..."

As we walked towards the exit, I turned and saw Dominique standing at a doorway, her face beaming.

"Thanks," I winked.

She nodded and waved goodbye. What a great gargoyle.

...

As Clem left with the two humans, I sighed... happily? Was I actually happy? Well, it did feel good to get his friends over here. Even if they were humans, they didn't seem that bad.

And the wrinkly demon himself... the way he looked at me before leaving, it was almost cute, in a way.

Was I actually attracted to him?  



	3. Chapter 3

_Greg Weisman and Joss Whedon are the geniuses, not me._

** New York, New York  
Chapter 3  
**by Zzilly14

A few weeks had passed, and Buffy and Dawn flew out to England to help restart the Council with Giles. I was going to miss them, but...

"Clem?"

I was surprised to see Dominique - she hadn't been in the bar for a while, and she didn't come by to say hello at work. She was standing in the doorway of the bar, her purple wings draped behind her back. And she was wearing a gorgeous sleeveless black dress.

"Domi... Domi... nique?" I stuttered.

She walked over and sat down on the stool next to mine. "I was wondering... would you like to go out? To dinner? I know it's kind of late for dinner, but..."

"A... a... date?"

"If you'd like to call it that... yes."

The bartender glanced up at us and cracked a smile. Dominique stared at him with glowing red eyes and he cleared his throat before going to another customer.

"Um... where?" I wondered.

"Dinner. Somewhere else. Not here. I'd like to talk to you... alone."

"Okay..." I nodded.

She took my wrinkly hand and led me out of the bar to a yellow taxi parked outside. We got in and Dominique demanded the driver to drive and we sat silently.

I stared at her light blue skin. It was so... smooth, and tight... but I found it kind of sexy.

Was I falling for this gargoyle?

...

He didn't say anything on the ride over to the Eyrie Building. Which was alright - what would I say to him? Especially with that human taxi driver listening in... it wouldn't be logical to discuss private matters.

We finally arrived at our destination. I was generous in my payment to the driver so he would leave without argument.

"Wow," Clem remarked, looking up towards the sky. "This is a big building."

"Come on, let's get inside," I replied.

We entered the doors and Owen, that annoying fool, was waiting for us.

"Good evening," he grinned. "Right this way."

"Very fancy place," the wrinkled demon nodded as we followed the assistant to the elevator.

"You get used to it," I muttered.

When we got to the elevator, Owen stepped aside. "Go to floor eleven. That is where you will be dining this evening."

"Thanks!"

"Yes," I added reluctantly, "thank you."

"The pleasure is mine as well as Mr. Xanatos'. Enjoy your meal."

The doors closed, and yet another few minutes of awkward silence. I refused to look at Clem... I would've had the urge to do something irrational and embarrassing.

When the doors opened, there was a large maroon room before us, with paintings on the walls and a small table in the middle, donned with a white tablecloth. On the table were two candles, and a meal fit for a whole gargoyle clan - steak, baked potatoes, and red wine to drink.

Clem stared at the room in awe. "This is a _very_ nice place!"

"Let's sit down, shall we?"

Before I could take my seat Clem was pulling out the chair for me. I cautiously sat down as he pushed it back in.

"Uh... thanks," I smiled nervously.

"No problem. I just want to be a kind of gentleman, you know? People don't do it often enough anymore, let alone demons. What happened to chivalry?"

"It died out a long time ago..."

Clem sat down across from me and took a sip of the wine. "No offense - I'm just curious - but how old _are_ you? You've implied you been around a long time, but yet... you don't look a day over forty. In gargoyle years, I mean."

"I know what you meant," I smiled softly. "I suppose I should tell you my life story, so it makes sense. I lived a long time ago, along with the current Manhattan clan. Over a millennium ago we protected Castle Wyvern in Scotland. But... I helped betray the humans, and in turn our clan was betrayed. Most were destroyed by the Vikings, shattered to stone pieces."

Clem stared into my eyes. "You weren't turned to stone for a thousand years like Goliath, were you?"

"No. I hid and was spared the curse. I lived for a long time, fighting for my people, fighting for survival. I made an ally with Macbeth, who eventually became king of Scotland. We were eventually connected by a spell, which makes us immortal. That is, unless we kill each other."

"So that's how..."

"Yes. He named me, actually. My real name, the one I'd rather distance myself from: Demona. And like my name, I was a demon. I eventually betrayed Macbeth to his nephew, and I grew to hate humans throughout the centuries... I wanted to kill them all. Make them suffer because of my people's suffering."

Clem was silent as he grabbed a large piece of steak and dropped it on his plate.

"I was a terrible being. I was thirsty for vengeance. After the clan awoke a decade ago, I tried to get Goliath to come to my side. Of course, he refused, and I hated him for it. He used to be my mate, actually... Later, I discovered we had a daughter. Angela. She gave me a chance, but I ruined it with her."

After a few quiet moments, he finally spoke up. "What changed?"

"In regard to humans, you mean? After the clan saved those humans on that train... it was different. It made me think about humans in a way I hadn't before, now that we were portrayed as protectors of humans. I still didn't like them - I still don't - but I'm slowly learning to tolerate them. I'm not bent on destroying the human race anymore." I sighed heavily before adding, "They're doing a good job of it themselves, with murder and war and..."

I couldn't help but tear up. I quickly tried to wipe the tears away with my napkin but I couldn't hide my emotions.

"September 11th. I was here when it happened. Here in New York. I looked out the window of my office in horror. If it had been years earlier, just a few, I would've been thrilled, I'm mortified to say. But seeing those towers fall... I realized that humans suffer as well as gargoyles. There are evil and destructive humans, but there are also good ones who deserve to live. I thought about my life and realized... I used to be like those terrorists. I was evil and destructive and wanted to kill my former clan. And I didn't like how I saw myself. So after sunset I glided over to the where the towers once stood and helped the firefighters out. I was there every night for the next week or so."

"I had no idea," Clem answered quietly.

I wiped the last of my tears and began to fill my dinner plate. The food was already cooling, and I wasn't sure what to say to the sweet demon across from me. What was he thinking in that head of his?  



	4. Chapter 4

_Greg Weisman and Joss Whedon are the geniuses, not me._

** New York, New York  
Chapter 4  
**by Zzilly14

I couldn't believe what Dominique had just told me. Sure, she wasn't the Queen of Nice, but I was shocked to hear the things she admitted to. I didn't know what to tell her after all that... And the poor gal was clearly upset.

"You're amazing," I stated.

"What?" she wondered, looking into my eyes with confusion.

"You've clearly been through a lot. And you've done some horrible things. But now you're headed in the right direction. I think it's amazing, and I'm proud of you for trying to do the right thing."

She gave me a soft smile before playing with her mashed potatoes. "I want to apologize to you, Clem."

"What for?"

"Your job."

"Hey, it's paying me a good deal of money..."

"But the working conditions can be better. I was... using you, Clem. And I'm sorry."

I laughed, "No problem, Dominique. But I thank you for coming out and saying it. Hey, can I get a snack machine in my office now?"

"No," she replied.

"Huh?"

"I'm firing you, Clem. Now before you say anything... yes, it does seem unfair. But I'm recommending you to the New Amsterdam Theatre..."

"Where Lion Ling's playing?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes. They could use someone for backstage work, and although it doesn't pay as good as I do..."

I cleared my throat. "Why are you firing me? I don't understand."

She gazed into my eyes, her pupils reflecting the chandelier above us. "It's against company policy to date fellow employees. Even though I'm the CEO of Nightstone and could change the policy... I don't want other employees to do the same."

I coughed. She wanted to date me? Like on a regular basis? Was that what she was implying?

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"Dominique... are you saying that..."

"Yes, Clem. I like you. We can start off slow, if you..."

Her sentence faded as I stood up and walked over to her. She smiled and stood up as I took her in my arms.

"I'm warning you," I smiled awkwardly, "I may not be the greatest kisser in the world."

"Shut up and do it already," she demanded.

So I did.

...

Clem kissed me. And I'm not afraid to admit that it was... nice. My hands stroked his dog-like ears, and I could've sworn I heard him purr.

"Sorry," he blushed when we parted lips. "I can't help it when someone..."

I played with his ears again, and he purred once more.

"I think it's cute," I giggled.

"Oh... well then. Still hungry?"

"Not really."

"Me either."

We kissed again, this time a little more passionately. A few minutes later we took a pause for breathing purposes.

"Wow," Clem said. "This is fun."

I looked out the window and noticed it was getting lighter.

"It's almost sunrise," I warned him.

"That's okay. You'll still be you, except... different."

"Yes," I replied, "but I'm not sure if you want to see me change. It's... painful. And I'd imagine it'd be painful to watch."

He gently stroked my cheek. "If you want me to step outside, I will. But I really don't mind staying."

I nodded and kissed his cheek.

...

I stood in awe as Dominique began to change. As the sun's rays hit her, her wings shrunk into her back, talons became feet, and the blue skin melted into peach. The whole time she was moaning and clutching the side of her head.

Finally, moments later, she was a human. Her eyes looked into mine and she blushed.

"Well, as you can see, it's done."

I smiled, "You're still beautiful. And hey, the dress is still intact."

Her cheeks reddened even more as she put her hands on her bottom where her tail once was. "For the most part."

I stepped towards her and kissed her on the lips once more - a soft, gentle kiss. "Want some breakfast?"

"Didn't we just have dinner?" she smirked.

"A demon's got to eat, you know. And I think there's still some steak left over..."

"You know," she laughed, "that sounds like a nice idea."  



End file.
